Reviews for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Applications

The average rating for Multimedia Computing, Communications and Applications based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-07-31 00:00:00 Matthew Dvorak I don't generally read popular science books, or didn't before reading this book - I preferred history and the occasional travel book. Now, I'm looking for more good science books to read. The basic premise of the book is that mankind's inventions and scientific discoveries, haven't all necessarily been a good thing, and they all have bad and unfortunately consequences which were not even thought of when the discoveries were made. This neatly chimes with my own thinking, which is a good starting point (and one of the main reasons why I picked up the book). Robert Winston picked several big scientific advancements to talk about: agriculture, writing, fuel/energy and medicine being the main ones. I thought writing and its follow up, digital communication, a bit weak, it seemed this was the area the author was least confident on. Obviously given his background as a doctor, medicine was the strongest area, but I found the section on agriculture particularly good as well. Winston charts the history of progress in each area, then talks about the issues/problems that are already arising, as well as looking to the future. I found this a fascinating, eye-opening book. It was very readable, it had a real page turning quality and the science was pitched at the right level, not being too technical but not being too lightweight either. A really good book, highly recommended!

Review # 2 was written on 2014-10-15 00:00:00 Charles Mcintosh Jr An engaging and informative look at human innovations and their consequences. Leaves you despairing for the human race and the house of cards we live on.